Need for Speed: The Run
Need for Speed: The Run is the 18th title in the Need for Speed series developed by EA Black Box, with the Wii and 3DS versions being developed by Firebrand Games. The title was accidentally leaked as an upcoming release by ShopTo.net but the title was unveiled as being in development by an EA representative via IGN. A teaser for the game was released onto YouTube.ShopTo.net Leak New information regarding the game will be revealed monthly until the release date.Need for Speed: The Run revealings The Run utilises the Frostbite 2 game engine developed by DICE to create unparalleled visual quality and enhanced physics.Press Release The game was released on November 15, 2011 in North America, and will be released on November 17, 2011 in the United Kingdom and November 17, 2011 in Europe. It is released on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii and Nintendo 3DS.Release Dates & Consoles Producers Jason DeLong and Steve Anthony have stated during an interview that Black Box was aiming to obtain critical acclaim after their last game received universally poor ratings.Gamerzins.com interview The Run had been in production for three years even though previous Black Box titles have had much shorter development periods.Q&A with Justin Wiebe On October 18, 2011 a demo of the game featuring Lamboghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Plot The Run follows heavy storyline gameplay in a similar style to EA Black Boxs' previous title - Need for Speed: Undercover. The story itself is set in a similar style to The Cannonball Run. Players will take the role of the protagonist - Jack Rourke - whom is a marked man racing for his life across United States of America along the most dangerous roads in the country from San Francisco to New York. The game starts with Jack duct taped to the steering wheel of a 991 Carrera S, which is dropped to a crusher by a crane. After successfully escaping from the car, Jack steals an Audi RS4 and attempts to escape from the mob. The mob notices him and promptly chase Jack. The pursuit ends when Jack crosses the railway, before almost getting involved in a collision with an oncoming train. In a chinese restaurant in San Francisco, Jack enters The Run in San Francisco so that he can pay-off a sizeable debt to The Mob. Sam Harper, a friend of Jack, told him about the race and reward, which would help him out of his situation with the mob. The Mob and the Police both pursue him as he attempts to defeat 200 rival racers to win a $25 million prize fund for being the first to reach New York.Plot Synopsis He'll also encounter a series of notable rivals such as Nikki and Mila. Jack will drive through a great variety of areas such as deserts, mountainious regions, woods and large American cities. He will be able to change the vehicles that he uses at key moments during the story gameplay. During the race to New York, Jack must make sure to reach position 150 in Las Vegas and 50 in Chicago, in order not be disqualified. In New York, Jack will run across his archrival Marcus Blackwell, who will race against him to be the ultimate winner of the race. Gameplay As seen in Shift 2 Unleashed and Hot Pursuit, an XP system is utilized by the game. XP points can be obtained by performing car stunts, overtaking racers, etc. These points are required to raise the driver level and unlocking new game content. The career mode of the game is divided in ten stages. A stage of the game includes a series of racing events such as sprint races. The first stage of The Run starts in San Franciso on the West Coast, with the last one taking place in New York. The handling of the game is said to be a mixture of Hot Pursuit and Shift. It is be accessible for beginners yet retain to be challenging for advanced players.E3 Preview Playstationlifestyle.com Nitrous is available in any event of the game, which will automatically recharge itself after usage. Cars handle fictitiously similar to their real life examples although with an arcade overlay and will greatly differ from each other depending on the type of vehicle that they are.Car Handling and Autolog The Run uses for any car a handling rating, from Easy to Expert. The damage system is similar to that seen in Hot PursuitQ&A with Justin Wiebe, although a race will immediately end, when the player has caused total damage to his vehicle. A Rewind option allows the player to restart an event from their last checkpoint if they wrecked their vehicle by a collision or by driving off the race event. Rewinds are only be available in limited quantities as their amount is dependent on the difficulity level that the player has selected; Easy has unlimited Rewinds, Normal has five Rewinds, though Hard will have less Rewinds and Impossible not at all, as well as the most difficult AI opponents.NFSCars at Gamescom 2011 Locations A day-night cycle combined with ocassional weather changes will be featured in The Run although they will be scripted to specific events and occurrences. A Free roam mode will be left out in the game. Justin Wiebe said that The Run will have approximately 186 miles (300 km) of road.Q&A with Justin Wiebe The Run will feature a variety of terrain that will affect the performance and gameplay that players will experience. This includes; Asphalt, Dirt, Snow, Ice, Fog, Dust Storms, Avalanches and Rain. Quick-Time Events The Run allows players to control their character during special on foot sequences. This gameplay element is in the form of quick time events meaning players will have to tap buttons on a controller when prompted although these events only make up a very small amount of the total game.Q&A with Justin Wiebe Race Types Similar to Hot Pursuit, most events seen in the Run are sprint races. There are also Checkpoint Race Events. The game also features Battle Races, which are technically alike to Sprints, as well as Rival Races, which involves in the player competing with particular racers of The Run. In some events of the game, gas stations can be found, where the player can swap and visually modify their vehicle. Singleplayer *Sprint Race - In any Sprint Event, the player has to complete the event and overtake any opponent within the race. *Checkpoint Race - A time trial with a series of checkpoints. The player must pass through any checkpoint, to get time added before it expires. *Battle Race - The player races with three or more rivals in sprint race, with the task of overtaking the rivals before time expires. After overtaking an opponent, the player has to hold his position for a determined time, to successfully obtain the rival's position. Multiplayer Up to 16 players can participate in a single online match. A multiplayer trailer released on November 2nd, 2011 showcased a series of multiplayer matches. The multiplayer matches are split into differing game type playlists. The player can select an event and vote towards the race course that the multiplayer game will be taking place on. Players will also take part in a reward system known as "The Bonus Wheel" which randomly selects a reward and required goal criteria for it.Multiplayer Trailer The Run features various vehicle restricted race modes such as Exotic Sprint, Mixed Competition, Muscle Car Battles, NFS Edition Racing, The Underground and Supercar Challenge.The Run Online Modes Pursuits Pursuits can occur during certain races. The police in the game utilizes roadblocks and occassionally perform ramming tactics. Police cars have a health bar displayed above their vehilces. Challenge Series The player can unlock a category of events within the Challenge Series by completing a Stage within the Career Mode. Each category in the Challenge Series contains a series of events that are based off courses, events, circumstances and obstacles witnessed with the Career Mode. The player is also awarded medals based on their performance within each event. Demo The demo takes place along Death Valley National Park (Desert Hill) in Nevada where as Jack has to overtake ten opponents. Another even takes place along Independence Pass (Summit) in Colorado where Jack competes against the driver of an Audi R8. The player is rewarded with experience points for certain driving stunts such as overtaking, landing a high jump and near missing traffic. Players can earn combos for quickly overtaking several opponents.Official Announcement Players had the chance to win a trip to a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launch party in Las Vegas if they beat Chrissy Teigen's time on Desert Hills.Demo Contest For recommending the demo to friends, players would receive access to the 2012 model Porsche 911 Carrera S (991).Official Announcement By downloading the demo, the BMW 1 Series M Coupe NFS Edition is instantly unlocked for players of the full game. Autolog EA announced that the social network Autolog will be more enhanced than seen in previous games.Detailed Gameplay Analysis During the gameplay, the split timer of the Stage leader has now been updated second-by-second which indicates how good or bad the player is to beat their time. Now players are rewarded for beating times and so on. Rewards also include new vehicles. Players are also able to check the career progress of their friends.Car Handling and Autolog The Run is able to integrate and communicate through Facebook. Vehicles Vehicles in The Run are divided into performance tiers and fitted with visual modifications. These pre-tuned vehicles are branded as special edition vehicles, namely Signature Edition and NFS Edition vehicles. Compared to their stock counterparts, they are performance tuned and often ranked in higher tiers. The handling of each car is also given either an Easy, Normal, Challenging, or Expert difficulty rating.Visual Customization in The Run Some vehicles are restricted to The Run mode. In this mode and during a race event, players can also swap their vehicle in gas stations, which are placed in certain locations. A Team Need for Speed BMW Z4 GT3 can be unlocked in the game, when the player has played Shift 2 Unleashed, Hot Pursuit, World or Undercover.BMW Z4 GT3 Bonus Customization Need for Speed: The Run's producer - Alex Grimbley denied that the Run would not feature any form of vehicle. customizationAlex Grimbley interview concerning Customization. This statement was retracted after some trailers and screenshots of the game featured visually modified vehicles. A Gamespot trailer released on November 2nd, 2011 features official confirmation that body kits and selectable body paints can be placed on vehicles.Visual Customization in The Run Visual Customization In Need for Speed: The Run players can equip body kits on to their vehicles and also paint the vehicles. There are cosmetic body kits known as Style Pack kits and Aero Pack kits which affect aerodynamics as well as performance. Visual customization can be performed in gas stations and in the View Cars Mode. Limited Edition The Limited Edition of The Run features three exclusive vehicles - the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S (991). Players can also unlock access to five additional Challenge Series events that have been designed for the exclusive three Limited Edition vehicles. Challenge Series Bonuses Pre-orders for Need for Speed: The Run come with special bonuses although these differ by retailer and edition ordered. The Pre-order bonuses are only available for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Need for Speed: The Run. The Underground and Most Wanted Challenge Series' can be obtained through pre-order at different participating retailers. The Carbon Challenge Series can only be obtained through pre-ordering the title on EA's Origin Store. Each Exclusive Challenge Series also include three new race events. 'Underground' The "Underground Challenge Series" includes the Nissan 370Z and Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 as well as three exclusive Underground themed events in the Challenges Series. The Nissan 370Z has a livery similar to Rachel's Nissan 350Z featured on Need for Speed: Underground 2's box art whilst the Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 has livery similar to that of Eddie's Skyline from Need for Speed: Underground.Most Wanted and Underground Challenge Series 'Most Wanted' The "Most Wanted Challenge Series" includes the BMW E92 M3 GTS and Ford Mustang Boss 302 as well as three exclusive Most Wanted themed events in the Challenges Series. The BMW E92 M3 GTS has a livery similar to the BMW M3 GTR first seen in Need for Speed: Most Wanted whilst the Ford Mustang Boss 302 has livery similar to that of Razor's Mustang from Need for Speed: Most Wanted. 'Carbon' The "Carbon Challenge Series" includes the Corvette Z06 and Audi R8 as well as three exclusive Carbon themed events in the Challenges Series. The Corvette Z06 has a livery similar to the Corvette Z06 driven by Cross in Need for Speed: Carbon whilst the Audi R8 has livery similar to that of Darius' Audi Quattro Le Mans from Need for Speed: Carbon.Carbon Challenge Series (Podcast) Downloadable Content Time Savers Pack Already available since the launch of the title, players of The Run can purchase the Time Savers Pack, which instantly unlocks any vehicle of the game, as well as profile icons, backgrounds and badges. It costs 800 Microsoft Points and $9.99 for the PlayStation 3 version. Dr. Pepper Prizes Similar to Battlefield 3, Dr Pepper has released a series of downloadable content for Need for Speed: The Run, including three exclusive Dr Pepper themed and performance modified vehicles (Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition, Ford GT, Porsche 911 GT2), as well as Autolog profile icons and a 1000 XP bonus. To obtain the prizes, players have to get a code from a Dr Pepper cap and redeem it in the homepage of Dr Pepper.Dr. Pepper Prizes Old Spice 'Smell Faster' Pack Since December 8, 2011 the Old Spice 'Smell Faster' Pack has been available for free download for American players of The Run. After signing on OldSpice.EA.com, players have to pick favorite Old Spice cent and the platform, they're playing on. This will unlock five performance tuned and Old Spice themed vehicles, namely the Ford Mustang Boss 302 (1969), Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Nissan 200SX (S14). In addition, the Old Spice Challenge Series will be unlocked.Old Spice DLC Soundtrack The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC version of The Run utilize a completely different soundtrack than seen by the Wii and 3DS versions. Rating The PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of The Run have been rated as 16+ (PEGI), PG (ACB) and T (ESRB). The Wii and 3DS versions have been rated as 7+ (PEGI), E10+ (ESRB) and G (ACB). Reception Overall, the game has largely received mixed reviews, but also gained critical acclaim. IGN reviewer Jack DeVries already had finished the Xbox 360 version of The Run on November 11, 2011. He rated it as a fairly good game with mixed results. A full review was be published on November 14.IGN Review In the full review, the game received a rating of 6.5, as the storyline was described as "unnecessary and frustating", and the game for lacking options and being short.IGN Review on YouTubeIGN Review Eurogamer gave the game a rating of 5 out of 10. The reviewer, Tom Bramwell, described the Run as a "fractured, painful slog, with its short, sharp races doing little justice to the concept".Eurogamer Review Joystiq gave The Run three out of five stars. The game was said to be not being the worst Need for Speed, but rather being not able to meet critical acclaim seen by other racing games from 2010.Joystiq Review Gametrailers however rated the The Run with 8.4, praising the environment and soundtrack.GameTrailers Review Dave Gamble from Gaming Nexus rated the game with A-, also praising the setting of The Run. Gamesradar scored 8 out of 10. The driving model was described as being "satisfying" and the race events being "balanced and well-paced".Gamesradar Review Awards The pre-release of Need for Speed: The Run has been nominated as one of the best E3 racing games by many websites such as IGN, Machinma and Game Critics Award. The Run was also declared to be the winner of Best Racing Game of E3 by Hardgame2.com, Game Chronicles and Gaming Excellence.Nominations The post-release was nominated by Spike TV VGA as Best Driving Game.Spike TV VGA Nominations Sales Worldwide over 220,000 copies of Need for Speed: The Run for the PlayStation 3 were sold during the first week after its official release.GamrReview Sales Chart In the UK Top 40, The Run is ranked at position 11.UK Top 40 Technical Issues PC players of The Run often complain about having performance issues, as it appears to have a 30 fps cap, even when V-sync is turned off. The game also doesn't feature an Antialiasing option like Hot Pursuit. HARDOCP Performance Rating Promotion Soundtrack At NeedforSpeed.com it was possible to pick one out of three songs to be featured in the final soundtrack of the game. It was feasible to choose between 'Mama taught me better' by Black Motor Cycle Club, 'Solar' by MonstrO and 'Tropical Depression' by The Night Marchers. This contest was supported by HP and Vagrant Records until September 6, 2011.NeedforSpeed.com Soundtrack Contest Collaboration with Sports Illustrated Two Sports Illustrated models - Chrissy Teigen and Irina Shayk - appear in The Run as part of a promotional partnership. Players can encounter advertisements for Sports Illustrated, too. There is a bundle containing a six-month “All Access” subscription to Sports Illustrated, a copy of the game for PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 and a Making of DVD starring the two swimsuit models for $49.95.Collaboration with Sports IllustratedCollaboration with Sports Illustrated at EA.comCollaboration with Sports Illustrated at MotorTrend.com Collaboration with Adidas Adidas and Electronic Arts collaborated to manufacture 100 pair of limited edition adidas Original Need for Speed Top X shoes. The protagonist of the game also appears to wear a pair of these shoes. On October 10, 2011, the first 50 shoes were brought to the Adidas store in Chicago. There was also a special event held by DJ Neil Armstrong and Kids These Days. The initial ten purchasers of the product were be invited to exclusive kick-off events at the stores after a few days. The other 50 were delivered to the San Francisco store on October 27, where the same event took place again. The first twenty buyers received a ticket to another exclusive event at the store on October 27 headlined by Mick Boogie. A celebration was held in New York on the release date of the game.Collaboration with Adidas Michael Bay Trailer A promotional campaign revolving around a special trailer created by movie director Michael Bay began on November 2, 2011. The special Need for Speed: The Run trailer was unlocked for viewing after unlocking it received 250,000 points. Liking the trailer through Facebook added two points whereas five points were added for sharing the video on Facebook.Michael Bay's trailerMichael Bay's trailer on Facebook Trivia *The 991 Carrera S NFS Edition in The Run strongly resembles the Snowflake Edition of Need for Speed: World. System Requirements =References= Category:Need for Speed Series Category:Games Category:Need for Speed Series Category:Games